Shoe spike



July 21, 1959 J. v.- MELcHloNA sHoE SPIKE y Filed June 9, 1958 mm, y

INV ENTOR.

Eames IVe/ allianz United States Patent -SI-IOE SPIKE James V. Melchiona, Cincinnati, Ohio Application June 9,1958, Serial No. 740,782

3 Claims. (Cl. 36--59) The present invention relates to an improved spike construction for attachment to the soles or the heels of shoes, as for examples, to the soles and heels of shoes used in the games of golf, tennis or baseball, to insure a firm footing for the players thereof.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a rugged, yet simplified spike construction that has improved ground gripping elements, and which may be screwed into the usual sole mounted socket of a sports shoe and be securely held therein against inadvertent unscrewing Iby sole co-operative elements which are complements of, and opposite the elements that secure the ground gripping characteristics for the spike.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sole engaging flange for the spike construction having the foregoing characteristics which is in the form of a stamping having externally projecting ribs which grip the ground and complemental, opposite grooves that co-operate with the sole to secure the spike in operative position on the sole against inadvertent unscrewing.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a durable and rugged ange construction for the shoe sole spike attachment.

Other objects of the invention will be more clearly apparent from a consideration of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanyiig drawing and in the following detailed description, it being understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts shown in the drawing, which are merely illustrative of the preferred embodiment and capable of modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view looking toward the under side of a shoe sole, showing the external face of my spike construction in plan.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the stamping for the ange element of my shoe spike shown in Fig. 1, showing the internal, shoe sole contacting side of said flange.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawing, there is shown a section of a shoe sole 4 of the usual construction, having an insole portion 5 and an outer sole portion 6 with a conventional spike mounting, internally threaded socket member 7 positioned in an aperture 8 formed in said sole.

The socket member may be attached to the shoe sole in any desired manner provided that it receives the threaded shank 9 of a spike structure generally indicated by the reference numeral 10.

The spike structure includes a iiange element 11, stamped from a metal blank, and which is circular in plan view whilst being slightly dished in lateral section. This flange element has a circular concentric boss portion 12 that preferably projects outwardly and which has an irregular aperture 13 (Fig. 3) formed through the central portion thereof. As illustrated in Fig. 2 an intermediate portion of the spike element is swaged out into the irregular aperture 13 in the flange element thus fixing the iiange element on the spike in non-rotatable relationship with each other. It will, therefore, be understood that when the screw threaded shank of the spike element 10 is threaded in the complementary threaded means of the insert 7 the flange element l1 will be drawn up against the under surface of the outer sole portion 7 of a shoe, opposed holes 14 and 15 being formed in the boss portion 12 of the ange element for the reception of a suitable tool that will draw said ilange element up tightly against the shoe sole.

A circular row of angularly spaced apart external ribs 16 are stamped in the flange element, and, as shown in Fig. 1, these ribs extend radially from the boss portion 12 into the periphery of said flange element. As shown in Fig. 2 the inner end or base of each rib is flush with the boss and tapers outwardly into raised terminal jointure with the peripheral, dished portion of the flange element, whilst with reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the ribs are'generally triangular in plan view with their wide base portions joined to the boss portion 12.

Now with reference to Fig. 3 it will be noted that each of the external ribs 16 form opposite grooves 117 in the inside, shoe sole engaging face of the flange element all of which communicate at their inner ends with the depressed side of lboss portion 12 whilst their outer ends extend into the periphery of the flange element. Thus the flange element may be stamped from relatively thin metal and yet have a rigid and rugged body structure that will withstand impact and other forces to which the spikes of sporting shoes are subjected to in use.

As will be readily apparent the external ribs 16 provide ground gripping surfaces for the spike structure which assist the central spike for insuring iirm footing in soil or sod, whilst the complemental opposite grooves 17 on the inside face of the flange grip against protuberances 18 (Fig. 2) formed on the underside of the sole 7 when the spike element is drawn up tight against the sole in its operative attached position on a shoe sole. This shoe sole gripping action of the grooves is mainly performed lby the outer portions of the grooves that are presented at the flange periphery because the dished shape of the iiange cause its peripheral portion to bite into the sole and force the said groove portions deeply into the sole. In this shoe sole gripping position the spike element cannot be inadvertently unscrewed from the insert whilst the sport shoe is in use.

Variations and modications may be made within the scope and definitions of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination: a shoe spike, a flange element secured to the spike and having a central aperture for engaging an intermediate portion of said spike, a raised, outwardly projecting boss portion stamped in the flange around the aperture, and a circular row of angularly spaced apart external, ground gripping ribs stamped in the ange and extending radially from the boss portion into the periphery of the flange, said ribs forming opposite, internal grooves on the inside face of the iiange which communicate at their inner ends with the inner depressed side of the boss, said grooves extending into the periphery of the flange and forming indentations in the inside face of the ange at the periphery thereof to grip the shoe sole.

2. In combination: a shoe spike having a screw threaded shank, an insert member in an aperture in the shoe sole and having complementary threaded means co-operable with the screw threaded shank of the spike for drawing said spike up against the sole, a dished shoe sole engaging ange element secured to the spike and having an irregular central aperture therethrough for xedly engaging an irregular intermediate portion on said spike, a boss portion stamped out from the external face of the lange concentrically around the aperture in said ilange, and a circular row of angularly spaced apart ribs stamped out from said face of the flange and each rib extending radially from the boss portion into the periphery of the ange, the inner ends of the ribs being flush with the boss and tapering outwardly into raised terminal jointure with the flange, said boss and ribs forming a corresponding ring-like depression and radiating grooves, respectively, in the inside face of the flange, said ribs forming ground gripping surfaces for the spike whilst the radiating grooves extend into the flange periphery and form indentations in the inside face of the flange at the periphery thereof to; provide shoe sole gripping surfaces preventing inadvertent un screwing of the spike from its attached position on a shoe sole.

3. In combination: a shoe spike having a screw threaded shank, an insert member in an aperture in the shoe sole and having complementary threaded means co-operable with the screw threaded shank of the spike for drawing said spike up against the shoe sole, a shoe sole engaging ange element secured to the spike and having an irregular, central aperture therethrough for xedly engaging an irregular intermediate portion on said spike, a boss portion formed on the exterior face of the ange concentrically around the aperture in said ange, and a circular row of angularly spaced apart ribs formed on the external face of the ange and each rib extneding outwardly from the boss portion to the peripheral portion of the flange, said boss and ribs formingk a corresponding ring-like depression and radiating grooves, respectively, in the interior face of the flange, said ribs providing ground gripping surfaces for the spike whilst the radiating grooves provide shoe sole gripping surfaces to prevent inadvertent unscrewing of the spike from its attached position on a shoe sole.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,306,308 Goldenberg Dec. 22, 1942 2,506,801 MacNeill May 9, 1950 2,624,128 Phillips Ian. 6, 1953 2,689,417 Bernstein Sept. 21, 1954 2,697,288 Wilcox Dec. 21, 1954 2,722,757 Phillips Nov. 8, 1955 2,784,503 Anderson Mar. 12, 1957 

